• Trump has ordered the DOJ to investigate former officials Miles Taylor and Chris Krebs.
• Both officials had publicly criticized Trump during and after their tenures.
• The actions mark a significant escalation in Trump's retribution campaign against his detractors.

In a dramatic escalation of his ongoing campaign against critics from his administration, President Donald Trump has issued two memoranda directing the Justice Department to investigate Miles Taylor and Chris Krebs. Taylor, a former senior official at the Department of Homeland Security, is notorious for his anonymous 2018 op-ed in The New York Times, in which he claimed to be part of a "resistance" within the Trump White House. Trump's recent directives, signed during a press conference in the Oval Office, mark a bold and formalized step into retribution, targeting those he perceives as disloyal.

In the signed memoranda, Trump accused Taylor of "treason" and called for the Department of Justice to investigate his past activities while serving in government. Taylor responded on social media, asserting that "dissent isn't unlawful" and lamenting the "dark path" America is on under Trump's influence.

Chris Krebs, who served as the head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) during Trump's presidency, is also in Trump's sights due to his outspoken defense of the integrity of the 2020 election. After declaring the elections to be secure—a stance that contradicted Trump's claims of widespread fraud—Krebs was subsequently fired. Trump condemned Krebs in his memorandum, labeling him a "bad-faith actor" and ordering a review of his actions while in office.

The orders against both Taylor and Krebs suggest a concerted effort by Trump to leverage his presidential powers to intimidate former officials who have challenged him. Trump expressed in his remarks, "We have to do something" about critics within the ranks, an indication of how deeply he views dissent as a personal betrayal. He has reinstated prior calls for accountability, echoing his sentiments about the need for loyalty among those who once served him.

This latest initiative is not a standalone action; it fits within a pattern of retaliation against those who have openly criticized Trump, including revocations of security clearances from several individuals associated with his administration. Most recently, he also targeted the law firm Susman Godfrey, which represented Dominion Voting Systems in a pivotal defamation lawsuit against Fox News.

Trump's ongoing efforts to silence opposition are raising alarms among legal experts and political commentators, who view these actions as setting a troubling precedent. As political tension continues to mount, the implications of such moves could resonate well beyond the immediate fallout with Taylor and Krebs.

Stay updated on this unfolding story by following our coverage. For more details, check the full articles on Newsweek, The Hill, HuffPost, India Times, and ABC News.